Douluo Continent: Gretchen at the start, empowered by the Star God.

Chapter 15 Gretchen's Expectations

Hearing the laughter coming from the bathroom, Lang Lei unconsciously put on a smile as well.

This kind of feeling cannot be measured by so-called favorability. Even if Langley has a full favorability rating, he could never replace Blanca as a mother.

Happy times are always fleeting, and the three hours passed quickly.

The laughter in the bathroom gradually faded, and after a moment of silence, Gretchen, who had changed back into her original clothes, came out of the bathroom.

Lang Lei withdrew from his cultivation and looked at Gretchen.

"That was a surprise..." Gretchen's voice was devoid of emotion; perhaps there was the joy of seeing her mother again, but also the sorrow of her mother's departure once more.

"I guess so..." Lang Lei didn't know what to say, so he could only agree with Gretsch's words.

"Will there be more?" Gretchen's expectant voice came through, and a rare expression appeared on her delicate face.

"I...don't know." Lang Lei didn't want to lie to Gretsch, but this time he was genuinely unsure.

After all, lotteries are random, and he has no control over them.

Seeing the disappointment on Gretchen's face, Lang Lei quickly grabbed Gretchen's shoulders and assured her, "But I'll do my best. As long as you don't give up, there will definitely be other opportunities in the future!"

"I understand." Gretchen nodded calmly. "Thank you, Brother Lang Lei."

After saying that, Gretchen hugged him and buried her head tightly in Lang Lei's arms.

Lang Lei was stunned for a moment, and after a long while, he slowly hugged the little guy in his arms.

Although Gretchen smelled sweet and soft, Lang Lei was truly single-minded at this moment, only wanting to comfort little Gretchen in his arms.

When Langley felt the dampness on his chest, his feelings became complicated. He began to doubt whether his initial decision to tear open the envelope was correct, and he began to question whether his actions had reopened Greta's old wounds.

"Thank you..." A soft voice interrupted Lang Lei's thoughts, making him jump. "Brother Lang Lei, I'm so happy..."

"You're welcome." Lang Lei stopped thinking about it and held little Gretchen in his arms with peace of mind.

He knew that little Gretchen must have wanted to see him, and in any case, she shouldn't regret it.

Even if I'm crying right now.

Gradually, Lang Lei felt that little Gretchen in his arms had stopped moving. He loosened his grip slightly and found that she had fallen asleep in his arms!

"He's still just a child..." Lang Lei smiled, wiped away the tears on the other person's face, gently placed him on the bed, and thoughtfully covered him with a blanket.

He suddenly stopped in a hurry to leave and decided to stay for a while.

"Um, Brother Lang Lei..."

After an unknown amount of time, Lang Lei heard a familiar voice calling him, and he stopped his cultivation again, looking at little Gretchen beside him.

"I just... I think I dreamt about my mother." Gretchen covered half of her face with the blanket, her big eyes asking a question.

"That's not a dream, little Gretchen~" Lang Lei smiled and ruffled little Gretchen's hair.

"But why didn't Daddy come..." Gretchen visibly disappointed. "Does he not like little Gretchen?"

"How could that be!" Lang Lei immediately denied. He knew that Hen was an ultimate daughter-obsessed guy. Even on his deathbed, all he could think about was his daughter. He begged his comrades to save Gretchen until he breathed his last.

How could a father like that not like Gretchen?

"But... he didn't come." Gretchen closed her eyes, looking somewhat dejected.

After a while, Lang Lei, who had been struggling with his thoughts, suddenly spoke.

"You're here!"

"Hmm?" Gretchen opened her eyes and looked at Langley.

"Little Gretchen's father is here too! But since the grown-up Gretchen was taking a bath, he didn't go to see her," Langley explained. "Look, what's this?"

Lang Lei took out two items: the paintbrush and the easel that Hen had given to Gretsch.

"My paintbrush and canvas..." Gretchen peeked out from under the covers, her eyes shining.

"That's right, little Gretchen's father asked me to deliver these two gifts to little Gretchen again." Langley nodded.

Greta touched the paintbrush, then the canvas, and looked at Lang Lei with a serious expression, though it was also quite cute.

"Brother Lang Lei, could you please keep this safe for Gretchen?" Gretchen rarely made such a request.

"Of course!" Lang Lei nodded and put the two items back.

Gretchen is now visibly radiating happiness, and her whole demeanor has brightened considerably.

Even Lang Lei's mood improved.

"System, check my current basic panel," Lang Lei commanded in a humming tone.

"Ding, opened."

[Tree and Sea System]

Host: Lang Lei

Identity: Unknown

Rating: 27

Number of draws: 10

Martial Soul 1: Earth Dragon Dust (Soul Ring: Black) (Talent: Dust Dragon Domain, Down-to-Earth)

Martial Soul 2: Heavenly Fire Judgment

Zero Rated Power - Heavenly Fire Unsheathed

Boundary Release - Heavenly Fire Calamity Annihilation

Overlimit Status - Annihilation Without End (Temporarily Closed)

Authority: None

Summoned Character: Gretchen

Items: 1 Bladeless Sword (Refined Tier 5), 4 Broken Crystal Flower Fragments, 1 Martial Soul Deletion Card, 1 Thunder Element God's Eye, 1 Cultivation Imprisonment Card, 1 Copy Card, 1 Custom Anchor Point, 5 Millennium Blood Ginseng, 27612 Gold Soul Coins, 1 Storage Soul Guidance Device, 1 Jianmu Fruit, 1 Gretsch's Drawing Board, 1 Gretsch's Paintbrush

Task: None

Status: Awesome!

"Hmm, not bad, it looks much more luxurious now..." Lang Lei nodded in satisfaction. "System, from now on, except for the more valuable items, please display the rest as ellipses. I'll click on them myself when I want to see them."

"Ding, edited."

"Gresh, rest a little longer." Lang Lei composed himself and prepared to do another ten-pull. "I'll make some more preparations and then we'll leave."

Lang Lei couldn't help but pray, hoping he could draw "Blanca's Letter" again, or even "Hem's Letter" would be fine!

Not for any other reason than to make little Greta happy...

"System, give me a ten-pull!"

"..."

There's no response again...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After a few taps, the panel remained unresponsive, only flashing a few times.

"How much signal does the new feature developed by El-Lita take up..." Lang Lei became increasingly excited.

Then, he slammed the panel with even more force.

"state!!!"

"Sizzle—"

After a hissing sound, the panel displayed the card-drawing interface.